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From: csw@ulysses.UUCP.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.computers.laser-printers
Subject: Fonts on Merganthaler
Message-ID: <8605102117.AA09625@ulysses.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 10-May-86 17:17:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: ulysses.8605102117.AA09625
Posted: Sat May 10 17:17:43 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 17-May-86 04:20:58 EDT
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    I did not see the early discussions about PostScript so forgive me
    if this has been hashed out already.



    In the Proceedings of the 1982 Electronic Publishing in the 80's
    conference, There is an article about the Mergenthaler Omnitech
    laser typesetter family.  In it, the author (Walter Hansen)
    states that their typesetters feature "an outlined font character
    storage system that generates all sizes of characters from 4-1/2
    point to 127-1/2 point from a single size master font set".  He
    goes on to say that "one compact master produces up to 246 sizes
    from 4-1/2 to 127-1/2 point.  Software smoothing techniques are
    used to assure aesthetic appearance on each character [...]
    Electronic slanting of seven degrees and fourteen degrees either
    forward or backward expands the variety of character forms
    available..."

    What I want to know is whether this was the first instance of a
    single master font being used to produce a variety of font sizes.
    I had assumed that Adobe's font system was somehow unique but
    clearly it is not.  If the technology has been around for a number
    of years, why are printers still being produced which rely upon
    prerasterized fonts?

    I realize there are those who will say that you cannot get decent
    quality output using this method but the folks at Merganthaler
    obviously disagree, at least at 1000 d.p.i.

    Also, does anyone know why they only offered 7 and 14 degrees of
    slant?  Was there some problem with providing a more versatile
    graphics transformation method?

    Chris Warth
    ulysses!csw

    P.S.  Anyone know when or where the next Electronic Publishing in
	  the 80's conference will be held?